Mónica Guzmán is the author of a wise, entertaining, inspiring and fantastically helpful new book called “I never thought of it that way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.” It's the first book I've read on the subject that actually made me look forward to my next difficult conversation.
Mónica's insights and strategies are hard won. In addition to being the chief storyteller for the national cross-partisan depolarization organization Braver Angels, as an individual and a journalist, she's organized and participated in many bridge-building conversations across our political divide. A Mexican immigrant, Latina, dual US/Mexico citizen, and self-proclaimed liberal, she's also the loving daughter of conservative parents who twice voted for Trump.
Among many other notable achievements, Mónica was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she researched how journalists can rethink their roles to better meet the needs of a participatory public. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, and served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes.
I think you'll enjoy and appreciate our conversation.
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Kern Beare is the founder of the Difficult Conversations Project and the author of Difficult Conversations: The Art and Science of Working Together. He also facilitates a workshop based on his book, which is free for non-profit organizations and community groups.